Modified Atmosphere Technology

Freshness Sealed

The Process

The most critical step to keeping sweet cherries fresh for longer periods of time is to lower the internal pulp temperature of the cherry (prior to packing and sealing the View Fresh bag) to 36 – 42°F; 2.2 – 5.5°C as soon as possible. Most often this reduction in temperature is done with the use of hydrocoolers. Now, mobile hydrocoolers are being utilized in the orchard before the cherries are loaded on the truck to be taken to the packinghouse. Quickly lowering the pulp temperature will help the preservation of the fruit.

Packing fruit with pulp temperatures of 36 – 42°F; 2.2 – 5.5°C is the initial step when using the View Fresh bag. We have also seen a reduction of bruising with fruit packed at this temperature. Cherries packed at colder temperatures can be more susceptible to damage and bruising.

Reducing the internal pulp temperature to 32 – 34°F; .0 – 1°C after packing the cherry is ideal. Reducing the temperature will also reduce the cherry respiration rate. Cherries with high brix will not freeze at 32°. In addition to reducing the respiration rate of the cherry, the cold temperature virtually halts all decay organisms from becoming active.

View Fresh MA bags allow O2 and CO2 molecules to permeate through the plastic membrane, then the bag maintains the higher concentration of CO2 and lower concentration of O2 at optimum levels.

Another Key is Hydration:

“Cherries transpire moisture from itself. Cells on the outer portion of the cherry transpire moisture to the outer atmosphere; the cherry then softens and dehydrates.”
Tom Bailey – View Fresh Pioneer/Inventor.

“A moist environment is a stable environment. Moisture inside the bag is a good thing (remember, too much of a good thing is not good – no pools of water in the bottom of the bag). Even with the moisture inside the bag, decay organisms are not likely to become active for 3 reasons; High CO2, Low O2 & Cold Temperatures. If you have a dry atmosphere inside the bag the cherries will give off moisture until the bag reaches higher humidity but by then the cherries are softer and more dehydrated.”
Tom Bailey – View Fresh Pioneer/Inventor.

View Fresh MA bags allow the packinghouse to reduce their chemical use. The View Fresh MA bag, when following the key steps, inhibits microbial growth all-the-while preserving premium sweet cherries. Lowering Chemical use is important to consumers. Hi quality fruit is important to consumers. “View Fresh is Freshness Sealed!”

View Fresh bags are used in two different ways:

View Fresh Active:

The View Fresh bag can be used in an ‘Active’ packing process. What this means is that the bag is placed under a sealing machine that vacuums out the atmosphere inside the View Fresh bag and injects the bag with a special gas mixture. The machine then heat seals the bag shut. This process is considered ‘Active’ as the atmosphere inside the bag is changed quickly to optimum levels prior to storage and shipment..

The View Fresh bag can be used in a ‘Passive’ packing process. What this means is that the View Fresh bag is placed under the sealing machine, the bag is folded over the sealing ‘jaws’, the operator ensures that very little air is inside the bag (avoiding an air bubble) and then heat seals the bag closed. This process is considered ‘Passive’ as the atmosphere inside the bag is not immediately changed. Over time the View Fresh bag, through its revolutionary design, will regulate the atmosphere inside the bag to optimum levels. This can take anywhere from 24 to 96 hours depending on the fruit variety, quality, and brix. The use of forced air (wind tunnels) can assist in reducing the respiration rate of the cherry in the passive packing process.

Sealing the View Fresh bag with a heat seal is important. A completely closed bag is imperative. Sealing enables proper functionality of the View Fresh bag. If the bag is not heat sealed by a machine, it will likely be open or become open in shipment, which is often the case when using clips and rubber bands. A properly sealed bag will keep the key components in place for cherry preservation.

“We have been pleased with the long-term storage capability of the view fresh bags. We find our buyers in China have more confidence in this system due to [its] ability to hold the fruit longer on arrival. Also we find the bag does the best job of keeping the stems fresh. Overall the development of this bag has allowed us to extend the season in many markets around the world for cherries.”

Bill Murray
Agrimax International Inc -
Washington State

“View Fresh Bags [have] been commonly recognized in Asia as the best choice for long term storage. It not only helped a lot on arriving condition [but] also provided more storage life after arriving. With the boxes individually bagged which also helped a lot on marketing side as [a] receiver can piece fruits out every day and the rest [of the] boxes in cold storage can still be maintained in good controlled atmosphere.”